Treasures, a Thieves in Time story 16
by Orion Lyonesse
Summary: Vila comes back from a long business trip off-planet, to find that things have changed around Avilla during his absence, and not for the better. Follows Avon's Little Girl. A/V.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story continues the saga of Avon and Vila on Darkover from AVON'S LITTLE GIRL._

_A question has been raised as to why Serran calls Avon Father and Vila Uncle. This story was originally written in the early nineties, when those names were common for a pair of fathers. Plus, the locale of these stories is based on the even older stories of Darkover. I considered changing the appellations to the more modern Dad and Tad, for example, but figured there would be too many echoes through the rest of the story that I might miss in editing, so I decided to leave them as we wrote them._

_Neither the characters from Blake's Seven nor Darkover belong to me. I just like to play with them!_

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Vila stared eagerly through the viewport of the company shuttle Skylark, straining for his first sight of Avilla Estate…home at last, after five months touring the Outer Planets on business, five long months with only sporadic messages through ORAC from Avon and Serran to sustain him. Soon, soon, he'd be home with those he loved, those he'd missed so very much!

Serran. What a delight it had been for both of them to have that child living with them! She'd brought noise and laughter and play and companionship into their home and their hearts, Vila reflected. After so long with just the two of them, now they couldn't conceive of life without her. They had so much to thank Cally for! Avon reported that Serran was doing well in her studies, both at home and in the tower. She had chosen a new yearling filly to raise and train for her own personal use, a present from Avon and Vila for her thirteenth birthday, which Vila had missed. He smiled as he thought of the present he had for her, a small, light-weight, very powerful spyglass on a silver chain.

And Avon. Vila felt an electric thrill course through him at the very thought of his freemate. It had been so long since he'd held Avon, kissed Avon, made love to Avon…

Feeling himself beginning to lose control, Vila wrenched his thoughts away from that seductive line, focusing instead on other changes.

Avon had mentioned that the hill bandits had been unaccountably more active in recent months, harassing travelers and looting supply trains, whenever they got a chance. If they kept up their depredations, he'd threatened to do something about them in the near future.

In their household, someone named Verness had taken up residence as a tutor for Serran and the other children on the estate. Vila went over what Avon had told him, through ORAC, about the man: He came highly recommended by another nearby estate as a good teacher and a satisfactory employee, and apparently Serran liked him well enough, from her messages. Avon, typically terse, hadn't said much beyond bare facts. Vila wasn't too sure if he liked the idea of a strange male being included in their household.

Shaking himself out of this pointless speculation and vague unease he focused instead on the planet below, recognizing Lady Gwenneth's tower. His heart gave a leap as he realized how close to home he finally was! Returning to strap himself into the passenger's seat, he faced the viewscreen just in time to see Avilla materialize, the great stone house looming above the smaller outbuildings and Avon's beloved stables. Vila swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. No matter how many times he returned to Avilla and Avon, he never ceased to be affected like this. After wandering so long and so far, he had a home.

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"Avon? Avon, where are you?" Vila called, dropping his personal bags on the marble floor just inside the great double doors. His trunks would be delivered later, but he just didn't want to wait for them before getting home. He could still hear the tiny shuttle's jets dwindling into silence on its way back to Trade City after dropping him in the empty forecourt of Avilla. Strangely, no one had been in the vicinity to greet him, though he knew he'd notified ORAC that he was on his way from the spaceport. So, where was everyone? Taking a guess that at least Avon would be in the library, he strode across the hall and slide open one of the pocket doors.

"Surprise!" cried Avon and Serran, who laughed gleefully at the astonished look on Vila's face as she threw herself into his arms. Avon stepped forward to embrace the two of them in one warm family hug. Vila was speechless with joy. Noticing another figure standing in the background, he gave Avon a questioning raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Vila, this is Messire Arnad Verness, the new tutor I told you about. He's been quite a help to me in your absence."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," Vila greeted him with a slight incline of his head, appropriate for an employer to an employee. Then he saw the speculative, almost predatory gleam in this man's eye. _Uh oh, there's something going on here_, he thought_._

"I'm glad to finally get the chance to meet you, Vila." Though Vila continued to smile, he'd noticed the slight; the man had addressed him by name instead of with an honorific as was his due as owner of Avilla Estate. "Dom Avon's told me so much about you, I feel as if I know you quite well."

"I'm sure he has," Vila mumbled, moving toward the celebratory tea set out by the big fireplace, Serran chattering at his side.

With a puzzled frown on his face, Avon followed, wondering what was dampening Vila's enthusiasm. He'd been gone so long and Avon had missed him so much, but suddenly he was getting a distinctly cool attitude from Vila. What could he have done wrong, and so quickly, too, he wondered? Shaking his head, he followed, vowing to be as warm and loving and considerate as he could, within reason, of course.

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Vila began to feel his weariness acutely. The surprise 'party' had begun in earnest, but all he really wanted to do was go upstairs, clean up, and be alone with Avon. Unfortunately, there was another presence lurking in the background, interfering with his plans for a reunion. He threw an annoyed glance at Verness, who simply smiled back at him, leaving Vila cold.

Verness watched, hiding his real feelings, trying to project a neutral attitude, all he could manage at the moment. He watched his rival for Avon's affections as Vila left the library. A plan began to form around the edges of his mind, a plan to rid himself once and for all of this one who was obviously not good enough for the master of Avilla.

The tutor walked into the center of the room, smiling at Avon in a familiar way. "Perhaps we should forego our regular battle of wits over the chessboards, Vai Dom?"

Even though he wanted nothing so much as to hold Vila in his arms in the privacy of their own bed, he'd seen how tired his lover had appeared and thought to put his own desires aside in favor of Vila's needs. But he had to do something to occupy his mind or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from mounting the grand staircase and…

Avon breathed a deep, unhappy sigh. "I don't see the need. Vila is obviously exhausted and will likely want to rest." He rose, going to the games cupboard and pulling out the chessboard. Setting up the heavy pieces, he stopped for a moment to admire the inlaid board with its hand-carved playing pieces of onyx and milky quartz. It had been a Midsummer's gift from Vila several years before and was one of his most prized possession. It had been a pleasure to find that Verness was almost his equal at chess. It had certainly helped fill the lonely evening hours all the time Vila had been gone.

Verness sat in front of the black pieces, granting his employer the right of moving first as always. The game progressed with the passage of the hours, the two men almost unaware of time as they moved and countered, formed gambits and strategies. Shadows in the room deepened as the fire burned down.

Avon threw more wood into the massive fireplace, brought an oil lamp closer and sat back down. He was just about to make a move that would compromise Verness' gueen when the library door opened and Vila walked in, clad only in his dressing gown.

At finding his lover calmly playing chess with someone he distrusted turned the shocked look on Vila's face to one of confused anger. Standing straight and tight-lipped, he declared, "I thought you would be coming to bed with me, Avon." With that, he spun on his heel and stalked out.

Avon blinked, taken aback at Vila's anger. He had only been considerate of Vila's needs, after all. Now…now things had gotten out of hand and he had to fix them immediately! He stood quickly, bit Verness goodnight and hurriedly left the room, Verness' queen still unchecked.

"Perhaps tomorrow night, then," Verness called after him. Oh, this was looking promising! Home less than a day and already Vila was on the outs with Avon. His plan, only a possibility until now, solidified in his mind, showing him that it was just a matter of time before he, Verness, was Avon's partner and owner of Avilla and all its riches. Wouldn't his brother enjoy being related to such a wealthy person?


	2. Misunderstandings Magnified

_A/N: Neither the characters from Blake's Seven nor Darkover belong to me. I just like to play with them!_

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Standing just inside the doors to their private chamber, Avon watched helplessly as Vila stalked around their bed, glaring at him. "Look, Vila, I'm…sorry about that," Avon apologized, hoping to extricate himself from the situation. Vila rarely lost his temper, but when he did even Avon had learned to be wary.

"Damn it, Avon, I've been gone for five bloody months!" Vila exploded. "I thought you'd be eager to be with me again. I waited up for you and, when you didn't come to bed, I decided to go looking for you. I find you playing chess with that…man, on the chessboard I gave you. That hurt, Avon." His voice softened, though the hurt was evident. "There were some nights while I was away that I couldn't sleep for thinking about you and us. I was so lonely…"

"Vila…" Avon began, stretching on elegant hand toward his lover.

But Vila wasn't done. He sniffed, whether from an incipient runny nose or from distain, Avon couldn't tell. "You obviously weren't as lonely as I was." He left the implication hanging between them.

Avon huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "Vila, don't be absurd."

Vila looked him directly in the eyes, which he'd been avoiding for some moments. "You don't see what that man is up to, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Avon was confused. Verness? What did the tutor have to do with this? Perhaps he, Avon, had been insensitive, staying downstairs so long, but that was his own fault.

"He wants you," Vila said flatly.

"Verness? Wants me?" His forehead wrinkled with the absurd idea. The man was Serren's tutor, nothing more.

"Unless he's already had you." Vila couldn't help himself. All those months, dreaming, wishing, fantasizing about being home again, then this.

Avon glared silently at the one he'd thought he knew so well. Finally he spoke very quietly. "I don't believe you said that."

"If the shoe fits, Avon…" He couldn't back down now. It just wasn't in him.

"Vila, are you accusing me of being unfaithful to you?"

Put that way, so starkly, Vila wondered where he could possibly have come up with the idea. Maybe he was just too tired to think straight. "Look," Vila sighed heavily, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm tired and I just want to go to sleep." He shrugged out of his dressing gown, folded it neatly and placed it on the foot of the bed. Calmed slightly, he crawled into the cavernous bed.

Avon undressed slowly and quietly, climbing in beside Vila, hoping to make amends. After lowering the lamp flame, he rolled over and put his hand on Vila's shoulder. All he wanted was for Vila to forgive him and lie in his arms as they both slipped into sleep.

Vila jerked away, his back to Avon. "I said I wanted to sleep."

Avon had had enough. Maybe they would both be in a better mood in the morning. Pulling his half of the comforter away from Vila, he growled, "So, sleep then!"

The temperature in the room dropped considerably.

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When Avon awoke, there was no warm body beside him, only a faint impression in the cold, empty bed. He dressed quickly and went in search of Vila. He had slept little through the night, while Vila had snored easily beside him. There were words that he knew he should not have said, and words he wanted to say. Flinging on his pants and tunic, he hurried from the bedroom.

He found Vila, after searching the kitchen and library, in his own office with ORAC, surrounded by stacks of paper. "I think we need to talk," he said, pausing in the doorway.

"I'm busy, Avon."

"I can see that, but it can wait, can't it?" he said reasonably. No matter what business Vila had to attend to, it couldn't be as important as their relationship and this misunderstanding.

"No, it cannot. I was gone for five months; there are reports to be made, bookkeeping and all. If I don't do it while it's still fresh in my mind, I'll be sorry and so will you."

"A few minutes won't matter either way," he argued calmly. It wouldn't do, after all, to get Vila's ire up again. Heavens forbid!

"Avon, what we have to say to each other will take a lot longer than a few minutes." His implacable tone and arch look, almost of distain, seemed out of character for the Vila he knew, but not for the owner and manager of Avilla Trading Company. Maybe that was what was coming between them: Vila was still in owner mode, not partner mode. He hoped that was it.

Avon gave him a downcast look. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Well, so am I, but I still have to finish this." Finally, Vila threw down the stylus and pulled ORAC's key out. "Look, later tonight, after dinner, when we've both calmed down, I think would be a better time to talk."

"All right, then, after dinner…we'll talk."

Avon left the office, at least a little less upset than before and secure in the knowledge that the love they shared could overcome even this.

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It was late in the afternoon. Avon stood in the corridor outside Vila's office, wondering if maybe he should make another overture. He decided against it. It was, after all, Vila's turn. He walked down the hallway and was met by Verness coming from his own office/schoolroom.

"Good afternoon, dom Avon."

"Not really," Avon replied sourly.

"Oh? That's too bad."

"Look, Verness, I'm sorry about last night." It wasn't the man's fault he and Vila were on the outs; it was Avon's own actions that precipitated the quarrel. The tutor shouldn't have to feel Avon's wrath or impoliteness, too. "We'll have to continue that chess game though. I almost had you."

Avon's back was to Vila's office door and he didn't see it open, Vila standing in open-mouthed disbelief at Avon's words 'I almost had you', echoing in his mind.

Verness, though, was aware of Vila's presence and hastened to put his plan in action. Casually, he reached out, his hand resting lightly on Avon's shoulder, fingers tightening imperceptibly.

"Tonight, then?"

"Why not?" the words were barely out of Avon's mouth when he felt himself being spun around, facing a livid Vila Restal.

"So! I was right, then! Well, if that's the way of it, I'll just leave so the two of you can finish your 'game'!" he spat out.

Avon stood rooted to the spot, mouth agape, as Vila stalked away, back straight, head held high. He couldn't see the tears in the other man's eyes. Whatever Vila thought, it was wrong! Something was going on that was beyond his conception! Avon started to call out, to follow.

Verness stopped him. "No, let him go."

Avon turned clouded, worried eyes to the tutor. "But…"

"It's what he wants. Maybe he doesn't deserve you after all."

Avon was suddenly taken aback at the familiarity this employee had assumed after very little time of service. His gaze sharpened as he remembered Vila's words. Perhaps Vila had been right after all, but now was not the time to tell him so. They did have a 'date' to talk after dinner, didn't they? Best to let Vila let off steam until then. It could wait until then.

Drawing in a calming breath, he said, "Verness, I think our chess game will have to wait."

The man bowed his head slightly. "As you wish, vai dom."

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"Father! Uncle Vila's gone!" Serran stood, disheveled and anxious, just inside the libray's doors. He could tell from her trews and tunic that she'd been down at the stable, probably putting her new filly through her paces. She was developing into a horse trainer that would put Avon and his horsemaster to shame.

His head came up from the account book he was trying without success to read. His attention kept wandering back to Vila and their argument, trying to find a better way to say he was sorry. His eyes widened in shock as the girl's news. "Gone? Gone where?"

"I saw him in the stables. He rode out on the bay gelding and told me not to follow him!" Given her telepathic gifts, she picked up the tension between them. Not understanding, she'd asked Avon what was the matter, but he'd put her off with platitudes.

"Did he say where he was going?" he asked sharply. "It's getting late and the hill bandits have been too active for him to be away for long."

"No, but I didn't see any weapons other than the knife you gave him." She was almost in tears. This was her beloved Uncle Vila. Father Avon should DO something!

Seeing his little girl so upset did not sit well with Avon. He had to calm his own internal roil. If he became agitated, the child would be inconsolable. Projecting false calm, he said, "Well, he must have had a good reason. He'll probably be back soon. We have some private business scheduled for later tonight."

"I hope so," Serran said, doubtfully. She'd

"Don't worry," Verness said, making his presence known in the room and interposing himself between them. "Your Uncle Vila can take care of himself, I'm sure."

At that point, the evening meal was announced. Avon closed his book and rose, taking Serran's arm. Verness fell in behind them as the three of them went toward the small dining room for dinner.

During the meal, Avon spoke little and ate even less. It was pitch dark outside and Vila still had not returned. Avon was becoming more and more uneasy over his mate's absence.

At the end of the meal, Verness spoke up. "Perhaps, vai dom, since Vila is not here at the moment, we could continue our match from last night?"

With difficulty, Avon brought his thoughts back to the dining table. "I suppose," he said doubtfully, "but the minute Vila shows up, I intend to stop." He felt it best for the tutor to know his limits. Vila came first, no matter what.

"Of course. I quite understand." The tutor's downcast eyes didn't allow Avon to gauge his motives, only his words. There seemed a smugness about the man, Avon sensed now, or was it his imagination, brought on by Vila's words?

Avon watched the man, wondering, _Do you understand? Really?_

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Verness captured the white queen with a smile. "Check mate!"

"Hmpf. My game appears to be a bit off tonight, Verness. I guess I wasn't much of a challenge, was I?"

"You're always a challenge…Avon." The tutor watched to see if his employer caught the lack of title, distracted as he was.

Avon looked at him, saying nothing. He had noticed, but chose not to contest it. He did, however, resolve to reiterate in the very near future what this man's proper position should be.

Avon stood, packing the board and pieces away carefully. "I'm going to bed, 'Nes. I don't know what's happened to Vila, but if he hasn't come back by first light, I'm going looking for him myself!"

Ah, time for a little misdirection, the man thought. "I was under the impression he wanted to leave. You're just playing into his hands. Can't you see that?"

Avon stilled, a white knight in his hand. His voice was low and would have warned anyone who knew him that they were heading for disaster. The tutor didn't know Avon as well as he thought he did. Inclining his head, his eyes dark and dangerous, he said, "I can see more than you think, Verness. And I'll thank you not to interfere any more in our lives."

As Verness watched Avon leave, a glazed look came over his face, one common to only the most powerful of telepaths sending over a great distance.


	3. Pursuit

_A/N: Neither the characters from Blake's Seven nor Darkover belong to me. I just like to play with them!_

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It was still hours before full dawn. Avon bolted upright, alone in the massive bed, awakened by yet another nightmare of Vila in pain. Using every bit of telepathic strength he possessed, he reached out, questing for something, any touch, that would guide him to his mate. Each time he thought he'd found the other's mental signature, a shield clamped down, obliterating the sensation, a shield that was not Vila's. It was unfamiliar, an almost evil presence, one Avon had never encountered, and it frightened him for Vila's sake.

"Vila," he whispered into the accusing, empty room, "where are you?"

Nothing.

He threw the quilts aside and dressed in the darkness, instincts honed by years of warfare in space urging him on. The final layer of fur-lined vest donned, he belted on his dagger, the one Vila had given him. A stray shaft of purple moonlight escaped the heavy draperies to glint off the jewel set into its hilt and it winked at him, almost the way Vila had when they'd exchanged blades not more than a year before. His hand caressing the weapon in fearful determination, Avon left the bedchamber to make his preparations.

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The horsemen were gathered in the stables, harnessing mounts and loading pack animals. "Dom Avon!" A houseman ran into the stables, pushing through the assembled company of riders. "This was stuck to the front door – on the inside!" He handed Avon a parchment still pierced by an all-too-familiar blade.

"It's Vila's!" Avon hissed and moved closer to the lantern light. The paper read, _'Since there is someone obviously more suited to be your mate, who can be of more help that I've ever been, I've decided to give you your freedom. Don't come after me. Vila.'_

Avon's eyes narrowed, his features darkening visibly. "This is not Vila's handwriting."

"I don't read well, vai dom," the houseman ventured timidly, all too aware of Avon's short temper, "but that 'V' is how Verness always signs the papers my daughter brings home from her schooling with him."

Avon's head went up, his eyes staring at the cobwebbed stable ceiling, his eyes opaque as the plot unspoiled in his mind. "Verness! Of course!" Avon folded the parchment and put it into his saddlebags, along with Vila's blade. Determination radiated from him, his dark clothing swirling like a black hole, poised on the event horizon, ready to gobble up an unwary ship.

The red sun emerged from the horizon, barely illuminating the trail as they set out, Avon on his black gelding close behind his tracker.

As they reached Avilla's outer boundaries, they pulled up to the sound of a fast-approaching horse. Avon recognized Serran's favorite chestnut and her distinctive riding style, part dignified ride, part headlong jockey.

He waited until she had reined in close to him before he spoke. "No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!" His black eyes bored into her with an intensity that would have cowed a lesser person, but had little effect on his daughter.

"But, Father!" Serran protested, close to tears. "They've got my Uncle Vila!"

"What? Who? And how did you…"

"I felt his pain," she said simply, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

All of his protests evaporated. "Of course," Avon realized. "He wasn't being shielded from you!"

"And you need me to help you find him!" The young girl leaned across the distance between them to lay a hand on her father's strong arm, feeling the tension there as he restrained his steed. _Perhaps_, she thought, _he's trying to hold himself together, too_.

He shook his head, black and silver hair flying about his face. "It's too much of a risk, Serran. Vila's already…"

"Vai dom, if I may…" A young male voice interrupted the confrontation.

Avon twisted about in his saddle, seeking the source of this unwarranted interruption. Someone would pay, coming between him and his daughter. Then he spied the speaker, Kieran Valentine, a young hand, son of the estate foreman, a very serious and conscientious young man, in Avon's estimation. He reined in his temper with a sigh. "What, Val?"

The lad hesitated. He'd seldom been the focus of Avon's gaze, but had never had problems with the man. It was an impulse that had made him speak, but he just couldn't let the lovely daughter of the manor be sent home when clearly she desperately needed to be with the rescue party. He swallowed twice before he could get his voice working. "I'll…take the responsibility. She'll be safe with me."

Avon was set back on his mental heels at the echo of his own past. He'd said much the same thing to Servalan's father, all those years ago. He remembered feeling so mature, so gallant, so brave. So misguided, as it turned out. He sighed.

From his other side came a new, well-known voice. "My son is more than capable of protecting your daughter, dom Avon," Avilla's foreman, Damon Valentine, vouched.

"He'd best be!" With a quick nod to Serran and then to Val, Avon turned his face toward the trail, clapping his heels into the horse's flanks, and the band set off at a steady pace.

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They rode until well past full daylight, following the main road till it branched. Avon pulled up, the rest of his band eddying around him. He leaned from the saddle, studying the trail signs with his tracker, Ian. "It appears he headed toward the hills."

Damon joined them. "Aye, vai dom, and from the look of it, dom Vila was joined by several other riders at this point and there are signs of a struggle." He looked at Avon. "Perhaps we should contact the Terran authorities," he suggested.

His master shook his head. "There isn't time. Besides, I've never trusted authority." His voice was grim and dark, discouraging anyone from arguing.

Avon continued to search telepathically as he followed the hill trail, still getting the flash and shield sensation he'd felt earlier but at least it was growing stronger. He used it as he would have a homing beacon on a spacecraft. Though the sending had strengthened, Avon realized that its character had changed somehow. He refused to speculate on what could have caused that change.

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"It'll be dark soon, vai dom," called Damon over the sound of the hooves on the dusty trail. "They can't be much farther ahead."

"Agreed," Avon said, slowing his own horse. The others followed suit. "Ian," he called out.

"Aye, dom Avon," answered the tracker, a young, slightly-built redhead.

"Ride ahead and see if you can find any sign of the bandits' camp. And be careful," he cautioned. "I don't want them to see you."

Ian did as directed, leaving the group and urging his horse through the brush and disappearing.

Darkness came swiftly, as always, giving Ian the needed cover and allowing him to see the glow of a campfire over the next rise. Dismounting, he left his horse ground-tied and crept silently forward until he could see into a deep fold in the landscape.

He listened as voices carried through the still night air. Ian recognized Verness' laughter, which was soon swallowed up by the general revelry. Having found what he sought, the young man cautiously edged his way back to his mount.

Minutes later, Ian emerged from the darkness, informing an impatiently pacing Avon, "I found them, in a pocket past the next ridge.

"Did you see Vila?"

"No, vai dom, but I did recognize Verness' voice."

Avon looked at the rider sharply. "You're sure?"

"Yes, vai dom. I've met him often, while escorting my sister's children to school and home."

Avon turned and called, "Damon, Serran, Val, come with me. The rest of you, wait here."

With Ian in the lead, the five of them edged quietly up the slope until they could see into the camp below.

As their eyes grew accustomed to the firelight, Avon asked, "Serran, can you see Vila down there?"

"No, but this might help." She handed him Vila's gift to her, from his Grand Tour. His return seemed so long ago, not just the previous day.

Avon put the telescope to his eye, adjusting the focus and scouring the campsite for even a glimpse of Vila. When Verness walked into his line of sight, Avon followed him with the glass. Abrupty, Avon's movement topped.

"Do you see him, Father?" Serran whispered urgently.

"Yes…" her father hissed, watching the scene unfolding before him, as Verness struck the bound and gagged Vila. "I'll kill him," he growled.

Serran put a steadying hand on his arm. "Not by yourself," she said grimly, the steel in her voice reminding him sharply of her rebel mother Cally.

Avon turned gratefully to the foreman and his daughter, handing her the telescope. "Let's get back to the others. We have an attack to plan."


	4. Battle and Renunion

_A/N: Neither the characters from Blake's Seven nor Darkover belong to me. I just like to play with them!_

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The blood-red sun broke the horizon as they attacked…

Avon never clearly remembered the battle, just scattered fragments…Val protecting Serran…crossing blades with several of the bandits…Verness' anguished cry as Damon's arrow felled the bandit leader, 'You killed my brother!'…Ian Cameron falling wounded from his horse…Then, Vila's voice shouting, 'No, Avon, don't kill him!'

Time reasserted itself as Avon's sword poised in mid-stroke. "He…could have killed you, Vila!"

"But he didn't. Let him go…please." Vila put a hand on Avon's sword arm, forcing the man to look him in the eyes.

"He tried to take everything from you, Vila. I couldn't stand the idea that he might take you from me!" Avon's anguish showed plainly on his face and in his eyes. The tension of his body spoke volumes to his lover and partner.

Vila's determined look softened. "That could never happen, no matter the appearances. Avon, stop, let the men take care of it. It's…my fault he even had the chance. I…guess I'd been taking us for granted, getting complacent. He couldn't have come between us, even by appearances, if there hadn't been a gap for him to fill."

With disgust, Avon shoved the reeling Verness to the ground. "Tie him up with the others, Damon. We'll let the authorities take it from here."

As the battle's tension drained, Avon did what he most wanted to do. Approaching Vila, he begged with his eyes for permission and received it. Drawing Vila into a close, warm embrace, he bent his head slightly to bestow a gentle kiss on Vila's bruised lips. At first, Vila stood quietly in the embrace, but couldn't resist the kiss. His arms came up, surrounding Avon. He deepened Avon's chaste kiss into a hungry, devouring exchange that left both men breathless.

After an eternity, they broke away, clasping hands. Avon stared solemnly into the other man's eyes as he said, "Come on, Vila, let's go home."

A short time later, two separate groups left the battle scene. One party, made up of Avon, Vila, Serran, Val and the wounded Ian, would be returning to Avilla. The other, led by Damon, split off to take Verness and the surviving bandits to the authorities in Terran Trade City. Avon watched them depart, before turning back to his daughter and to Vila nodding toward home.

After several hours of riding with only necessary shared conversation, Vila finally got the courage to say something that had been weighing so heavily on his mind.

"You know, I wasn't sure if you'd be coming after me," he said quietly, so only Avon could hear.

Keeping his body and face under control with difficulty, Avon asked, his voice carefully neutral, "Why would you think that?"

"From some of the tings Verness told me and there were other reasons, too." He seemed to be taking an inordinate interest in his horse's mane.

Avon kneed his horse closer to Vila's for privacy. He didn't know where Vila was coming from, but he felt it was important for him to find out and make it better. "What other reasons?"

"Oh, just things. You know…"

"You mean like the night you returned from your tour and I played chess with Verness instead of coming to bed with you?"

"Well, that's one, but there were others, too."

"Tell me," Avon urged quietly.

"I'll tell you, Avon," Vila sighed, "but I can't bear to fight with you, not now."

"Then we won't fight. But we do need to talk rationally about this and now is as good a time as any."

"You mean so that everything will be like it was before?"

"You're an idiot, Vila," Avon said flatly.

The other man fell abruptly quiet. "No, I'm not," he said firmly.

Avon drew back as if he'd been slapped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. It's just a habit."

"I know, Avon, a bad habit, one that goes way back to when we were children. It was a part of what we were then, but things have changed." He almost sounded like he was a teacher, lecturing Avon. Still, he did have a point.

Avon thought for a moment, then nodded. "You never were an idiot, Vila. It started out as a term of affection and it still is, but I'm sorry that it hurt you. I wish you had said something sooner."

Scratching his head in puzzlement, he admitted, "I guess I just didn't realize how much it was hurting me, until now."

"We don't seem to talk as much as we used to," Avon murmured." "I think we're both guilty on that count." He rubbed his chin, looking down but not seeing the trail at all.

"Well, I'm always so busy, and you're always so busy. There's Avilla and Serran and you and me. But…whatever happened to 'us'?"

"'Us' isn't lost, Vila, just misplaced somewhere along the way. Perhaps we should make more effort to spend time with just the two of us together," he proposed.

Vila's face was set in stubborn lines as he said, "Well, one thing I'm certain of: I'm not making another Grand Tour without you."

"Another Grand Tour shouldn't be necessary," Avon remarked, "until Serran is of age and she can accompany us."

He considered the idea of all three of them, on a tour of planets and cities where Avilla Trading had its fingers. Now that could be fun. His eyes danced as he grinned. "I think I'd like that. We could show her the universe she's never seen. Our universe."

"You know, Vila, we have so many capable people working for us now. I think the time has come to delegate some of the responsibilities to them."

That settled, they rode in companionable silence for a time as the sun's colour deepened to a rich red. It seemed to hover just above the horizon when Avon finally spoke again.

"Vila, where were you going when you left me yesterday?"

"I'm not sure, I just had to get out of the house. I had thought to go to Gwenneth's tower and stay there until I could figure out what to do next."

Avon sucked in his lower lip, biting into it at Vila's words and the images it brought into his head. "You…make it sound as if you didn't know whether you were coming back."

"I didn't."

Avon wasn't sure how to reply, or even if he should. The silence lengthened until he finally asked, "Then why did you leave?"

His reply came almost too softly to be heard above the horses' hoofbeats. "Because of what I heard Verness say to you, and…"

Avon blinked, confused again. "What did you hear?"

"It was when I came out of my office. You two were standing by the door. All I heard was you saying, 'I almost had you.'"

Avon laughed in disbelief and relief. "And you thought…but we were talking about a chess game!"

"I know. I eventually figured that out, but you let him touch you, the way I do, and that hurt. It was just more than I could bear and I had to get out of there."

His eyebrows rose. "You jumped to the wrong conclusion, Vila."

"I seem to get a lot of my exercise by jumping to conclusions lately."

Avon ran a hand through his hair. "You know," he said, "this whole thing wouldn't have happened if I'd only listened when you tried to warn me about Verness. But you'd been gone for five months and I think I'd gotten out of the habit of listening to you."

"I know," Vila admitted, "and I think I was afraid you'd gotten out of the habit of loving me as well."

Avon turned sober, serious eyes on his partner. "Vila, that's one habit I don't intend to break. Ever."

Any further exchange was forestalled as Serran called out, "It'll be dark soon, Father, and Ian needs to rest."

"You're right, Serran," he said, looking around at the countryside he'd scarcely been paying attention to. "This is as good a place as any to stop."

By full nightfall, eager hands had made short work of setting up camp, making the wounded tracker comfortable, and preparing the evening meal. Avon and Vila's tent, the largest, was located some distance from the others, at Avon's direction.

After a hot supper cooked by Serran and Vila, Avon leaned across the log they were seated on, beckoning with a smile, "Let's go to bed, Vila."

Serran watched them leave the firelight, walking side by side but not holding hands, like she would have expected. There was still some trouble between them, she sensed, and she hoped they sorted it out soon. It just wasn't right for her two fathers to be at odds with each other.


	5. Birds and Bees and Promises

_A/N: Neither the characters from Blake's Seven nor Darkover belong to me. I just like to play with them!_

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Everything packed and secured, the small group rode on toward Avilla and home, Avon and Vila, with Serran between them, in the lead.

Avon reined his horse in. "Vila, I'm going back to talk to Val and make sure Ian is doing all right." He nodded up the trail they were following. "You and Serran go on ahead. We'll catch up."

Vila urged his own animal forward. "Come on, then, Serran. Let's spend a little time together, just the two of us."

"I'd like that, Uncle Vila," she said, smiling.

When they were out of hearing, Vila reined in slightly. "I was hoping for the chance to talk to you."

"What about?" she asked, tilting her head. Vila had always loved that questioning tilt on Cally and was immensely pleased to recognize the same gesture in her daughter.

"Serran," he began, not meeting her eyes, "Has Lady Gwenneth talked to you about…sex?"

She giggled. "You mean like what you and father were doing last night?"

Vila's face turned the red of Darkover's noontime sun. "Uh, well, sort of, but…there's more to it than that."

"I know, Uncle Vila. Lady Gwenneth told me all about it."

"All?" Vila squeaked.

"You know, about what happens when two people make love. I hope you don't mind that she did," the girl inquired anxiously.

"No, of course not." Vila dared to glance at her now. "Just what did she tell you about it?" Since Serran didn't seem the least bit embarrassed, Vila decided he should be at least as mature about it as he listened to her answer.

"Well, I already knew some of it, so I just asked questions and she answered them. You know, like how babies are born and stuff like that. She explained how people on this planet, the telepaths, are different in the way they act with each other."

"Did the two of you talk about…love?"

"A little. We talked about you and father and the way you feel about each other. But I already knew a lot of it from mother."

"I suppose you did," Vila mused.

"Uncle Vila, did you know you and father area kind of a local legend?"

"We are?" he replied, his fair eyebrows rising.

"Of course."

"Well, I haven't really thought much about it," Vila told her.

"Last night, when you and Father were in the tent and Val and I were talking by the fire, he said the same thing. He asked me what it was like, growing up with two people like you."

"And what did you tell him?" he asked curiously, brow furrowed.

"That I loved you both very much and couldn't imagine growing up any other way." Serran seemed to hesitate, considering her next words. "But you and Father had a big fight, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did, but it's mostly over now."

"Just mostly?" she said, worry creeping into her voice.

"Well, there are still some things we need to settle, but, yes, I think you could say it's mostly over."

"Sure sounded like it last night," she laughed.

He suddenly remembered she'd said she had sat up by the fire with the foreman's son the previous evening. "Um, I hope we didn't embarrass you with Val."

"Well, maybe a little," she admitted, "but I didn't mind, if it meant you and Father were back together again. You were jealous of Verness, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was, Serran, but for all the wrong reasons."

"I didn't like him either, but Father said it was because I was just wishing you were still here as my tutor. He said there wasn't anything he could do about it, so I'd have to just live with it. But I think Verness wanted to take your place with Father in more ways than just as my tutor."

He made a motion, as though to pat his daughter on the head, then checked as he thought better of it. She was growing up so fast. "You're too perceptive by far for someone your age, Serran."

"No, I'm not. I watched him and saw how he acted, even if Father didn't."

"You didn't say anything to him about it, did you?"

"I started to, a couple of times," she said, her face set in grim lines, "but I wasn't sure how to say it. Nothing made sense when I tried to put the words together. I wish I had, though."

Vila could tell the girl was blaming herself for what had occurred, unfairly, he knew. "Serran, what happened between Avon and me, this fight, was unfortunate and Verness may have seemed responsible, but that wasn't all there was to it. There were things that had been going on between us, things we didn't even realize, that had to be settled. Verness was just the catalyst for all of it. But now, things will be getting back to normal, I hope."

"So do I," she said fervently.

They rode in silence for a time, each lost in his own thoughts, until Vila asked, "Serran? Didn't you ever wonder about your father and me, about how two men can be a bonded pair?"

"Well, maybe a little, but Lady Gwenneth explained that to me, too."

"She did?" That startled Vila a bit.

"Let's see. I'm not sure if I can remember it all. It was kind of strange."

"Strange?" Vila inquired anxiously.

"Well, she said that everyone has two sides to their nature, a male side and a female side. That when people who are the same sex fall in love and bond with each other, it's because they're attracted to the opposite side. Like with you and Father. She told me there are lots of others here on this world like you, couples of the same sex and not just men and men, but women and women. It didn't seem so strange after she explained it to me."

"Hmmm," Vila pondered. "I never thought of it that way. I wonder if Avon has."

"You could tell him," she suggested, smiling.

"Maybe some day I will."

"Lady Gwenneth told me there are worlds where people like you and Father wouldn't be allowed to be together. But she didn't say anything more about them."

"That's true, Serran," Vila sighed. "Unfortunately, there are many planets out there where your Father and I could be arrested and punished just because we love each other."

"That's terrible!" she gasped, horrified by the very thought.

"I agree, but we were born on such a world."

"You mean, Earth?"

"Yes. Well, maybe not arrested for being in love, exactly, but certainly made to feel like second class citizens, if nothing else."

"I don't think I'd like it there, then," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh, Earth is a beautiful world, Serran. Not like this one, of course, but beautiful in a different way. There aren't any wild, untamed places the way there are here. It's all very civilized. However, we were born there and it is our original home.

"But you can't go back, can you?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Because you and Father sleep together?"

Vila laughed. "No, not because of that."

That puzzled her. "Why then?"

"It's a long story, Serran, and I'm not sure Avon wants it told just yet, not until he's had a chance to tell you his side first."

"But Mother told me about how you met and all and fell in love. She told me about the rebellion against the government and how you and Father fought and almost died."

"Did she tell you about Blake?"

"She told me he was your commander at first until Father took over. It sounded all very exciting, but she said it was more than that."

Vila drew in and released a great sigh. Apparently Cally hadn't told their daughter the whole story yet. "She was right, your mother was."

The almost-grown-up young lady vanished as the child admitted, "I miss her sometimes."

Reaching across, Vila stroked Serran's shoulder and down her back, as he'd done since she was a very small, very self-possessed, but very lonesome little girl. "So do I. But she has a lot of work to do. The rebellion isn't over yet, not until everyone on Earth and all the other worlds it commands are free. Not until all people who live as Avon and I do have the freedom to love openly and to say what we wish without fear."

Serran looked at Vila in wonder. He'd always been so easy going and anything but serious. This was a side of him she'd never seen before. "I've never heard you talk like that," she said.

"I've never had the chance."

"What will happen when we get back to Avilla?" she asked.

"Why should something happen?"

"You know," she insisted, "will you be my tutor again?"

Vila smiled happily at her. "I'd like nothing better."

"I think Father wants it that way again, too."

"Yes, I think he does."

"Uncle Vila, you're not going to go away again, are you?"

"No, Serran, I'm not going away again, not ever."

The girl looked into Vila's eyes, searching for any hint that he wasn't serious. "Promise?"

I promise. Unless you come with me…us, that is." He watched as she took in the meaning of his words.

"Could I?" she asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

"Someday. Avon and I decided that the next tour I make, no…WE make, you'll come with us. And it won't be until after you reach your majority, after your fifteenth birthday."

"That's a long time to wait."

"Yes, but the time will pass quicker than you think. And I promise not to leave until then."

"Uncle Vila? What do you think of Kieran Valentine?"

"Think of him?" This was an unexpected turn in the conversation.

"I think he likes me."

"Of course he does," Vila responded, wondering where this was leading.

"I think he'd like to see me again, but…"

"But…" Vila prompted.

"He's afraid of Father."

Vila laughed. "Well, he'll just have to get over that, won't he, if he wants to see you?"

"Uncle Vila?"

"Yes?" he said, wondering what other startling thing she was going to come up with.

"I love you."

Oh. That was okay, and didn't require any thinking on his part. "I love you, too, Serran."

"And you still love Father?"

"Very much so."

"Good."

They rode the rest of the way without saying much, in an easy, companionable silence.

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A/N: That ends this chapter of Thieves in Time. The story of Avon and Vila on Darkover continues in PAID IN FULL, when old friends and old and new enemies show up to disturb the peace of Avilla.


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